Black Russian

Really, this is only as Russian as your vodka. Legend has it that in 1949 a Belgian barman called Gustave Tops (which is a great name for a barman) created this at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels in honour of Perle Mesta, an American socialite who was the US ambassador to Luxembourg. She threw lavish parties attended by the rich and famous glitteratti of the time. He took vodka and Kahlua and mixed it right there in the glass with ice.

It has become quite a thing to top the drink up with cola making it a dirty black Russian but, not being a fan of coke I tend to leave that out, however if you like a longer drink please do try it.

Incidentally, Perle inspired Howard Lindsay to write ‘Call Me Madam’ which contained the Irving Berlin song ‘The Hostess with the Mostess’ which is where that oft-used phrase comes from. She was played by the powerhouse that was Ethel Merman in the 1950 Broadway musical and then the 1953 film.

Drink while watching classic film reruns.